Android Tutorial B4A-HelpViewer - View and search the documentation offline

This tool is no longer available. Please use the online search instead.

I'm happy to release the second version of B4A HelpViewer.
This utility allows you to browse and search the documentation and the forum posts from the desktop.

It automatically checks for updated libraries and forum posts during start-up. The libraries manuals are downloaded and stored locally.

The search functionality is built using Lucene.

b4ahelpviewer_1.png




For now there is no installation step. You should unzip the file and run B4A-HelpViewer.
Note that it should not be located under Program Files as it needs "write permissions".

Your comments are more than welcomed.
 
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klaus

Expert
Licensed User
Longtime User
Very useful.

Unfortunarely, on my 'old' XP computer, the colors are not dispayed as in your post.

Will there be menu item in the IDE to call it directly from there, giving it's folder in the configuration?

Best regards.
 

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Erel

B4X founder
Staff member
Licensed User
Longtime User
I don't know what the criteria for updating the libraries is but it's not working for me. Closing it, updating a library then re-opening it reports "0 files updated" - but they have been!
The zip file includes an index with all the currently most updated files. So nothing gets updated for now.

Unfortunarely, on my 'old' XP computer, the colors are not dispayed as in your post.
I will check it.

Will there be menu item in the IDE to call it directly from there, giving it's folder in the configuration?
I believe that it will be eventually part of the IDE.
 

moster67

Expert
Licensed User
Longtime User
nice,

sometimes it seems like "search" does not found everything..unless I am blind.

I tried array and I found references of the word array in various libraries although not from keywords which is available online. If I searched array keywords, it would find array but still it wouldn't point me to the description of array and its example (it only showed my the hyperlink "array").

also array as string is an analogue example.
 
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moster67

Expert
Licensed User
Longtime User
:signOops:

Fair enough...it was the first word that came into my mind when deciding what to search for.

Array is a difficult query as it is very common both as text and as part of method names.
 

aldweb

Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
I'm happy to release the first beta version of B4A HelpViewer.
This utility allows you to browse and search the documentation offline.

This is just what I was waiting for.
Great.
Thank you.

aldweb
 

alfcen

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Great support work, Erel, this truly adds convenience to programming.
A minor issue, the AdMob page does not display icon images.
Thanks so much!
 

alfcen

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Your latest implementation of Help is out of this world, Erel, amazing work beyond the call of duty!
 

Erel

B4X founder
Staff member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Your latest implementation of Help is out of this world, Erel, amazing work beyond the call of duty!
Thank you alfcen :)
I'm also very happy with the result. I highly recommend all users to try it. Using this tool it is much easier to find relevant information.
... and if there are any developers here that worked with search engines I'd be happy to discuss the customizations done in this tool in order to return good results (not trivial at all).
 

alfcen

Well-Known Member
Licensed User
Longtime User
Dear Erel, the results returned are pin-point.
There are many search engines around, but you can choose only one for a given purpose, and you made the right choice for the entire community.
 
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